Hello everyone,

I am trying to trim down my order and I am wondering if the Xenon ($550) & Basic Leather Option ($1,500) is worth the additional cost??

I am a weekend driver (Saturday & Sunday) and my dsily commute is the train. Any advise is highly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance.

 

Xenons definitely...night/day difference in the light

Leather...it looks good but the synthetic leather or cloth is excellent...and the right price ($0) :D

 

I too agree and after you drive the Mini, you might ditch the train

 

I skipped both of them, but the xenons are tempting. We test drove 2 cars - one with leather and one with cloth seats. The leather is nice, but the cloth is fine. I'd rather use that money for other things - like getting the MCS instead of MC.

 

I was about to go for the leather, but didn't after seeing it in person. My first impulse was for the Black Punch Leather, but the photos of the Red Lounge Leather reminded me of the British sports cars of the 1960's (I think a friend had a Jag with red leather). My car is Pure Silver, so I thought Black Lounge Leather would be best. I was disappointed when I saw it. Didn't have the same elegance as the red did in the photos.

The Black Punch Leather didn't impress me either. If you told me it was letherette, I would have believed you.

I went with cloth. Should breath well in hot weather and looks good. I have cloth seats in a 17 year-old Acura Integra and they have held up as well as leather would have. I just hope BMW cloth is as good as Honda cloth.

 

Xenons are well worth it... and the leather is expensive, but very nice. In the end, get what you can afford...

 

I think that @50 yrs old, you have a ~40% decrease in nite vision. Probably a good point for making your decision.

Mark

 

Not sure where that came from, I'm sure Mark meant well.

Order what you want and enjoy it! Don't "I should have gotten that" to your self later...

 

Have you been able to drive a MINI w/Xenon? If not go to your dealer at night to take a test drive and decide for yourself. For me it was no contest. The Xenons were well worth it.

 

The Xenons are worth every single penny I spent on them. They are clearer, brighter and make night driving much easier.

 

i am just placing my order (tomorrow!) and had the same questions ... at least about the leather. i've had zenons for the past few years and, like a lot of new automotive technologies, can't imagine doing without them.

but on the leather, i opted for the leatherette ($0) and put the money towards LSD, Comfort Access, and a few other options. BMW leatherette is really nice & wears well. the upcharge for the full-blown leather was just too much.

good luck!

david.

2007 Lightning Blue (Black) MCS --- about to queue up for production!!

 

Sorry if anyone took my statement for anything more than a fact. I figure if you're young, you might not need the xenon's as much as the older buyer. My eyes are "older" and I'll have the xenons. It's a very noticeable difference, as stated by JohnBLZ. Don't know about the MC/MCS, but am very happy to hear Trinity07's opinion

FWIW, I liked the base leather, for my touch, much softer than any on the German leathers I've been in. Much more supple.

Mark

 

I'm a 30 year old and I was 'blessed' with extremely sensitive eyes (I can't go outside even on a cloudly day without dark sunglasses)...seeing at night usually isn't an issue for me but when I saw the difference in halogens vs xenons...I had to have them.

It's not just the intensity of light it's the focused aspect of the rays...

I don't know that I'll ever get a car again without them.

 

Go with the Xenons definitely...worth every cent. Drive the car at night one with Xenons and one without...Xenons win no contest, they are that good. The first six months I owned my MINI-S with Xenons they helped me avoid several major accidents, one was a ladder that fell off a truck about 500 feet in front of me on the Penn. Turnpike going 75 MPH. That accident would have trashed my car, me, my wife and my daughter. When I order my Clubman in a couple of years it will have Xenons too.

 

Xenons, definitely. LSD, too!

 

If you have to get one or the other, definitely opt for the xenons. The no-charge upholstery options are darn good.

 

It's definitely something to try before buying if you're on the fence.

The one thing I don't like about the bi-xenons is there's a rather sharp cutoff on the light pattern on the front. Low-beam-only xenons don't have that quite as much, but halogens feather out more. Since the light on the pavement is brighter, some might perceive that they aren't seeing as well just beyond that cutoff, but that cutoff is farther out than you would have with halogens, so you really are seeing as much (probably more) with the xenons.

 

I got the Xenons and Lounge Leather, and I think they're worth it. I decided to splurge on this car and get what I wanted. I wouldn't stretch my budget for them though, if it was an issue. The "regular" leather is very nice too.

 

The xenons are definitely worth it. I decided to go with the cloth/leather interior and, besides have better holding, more comfortable sitting area, was able to get the LSD with the money saved over full leather. Plus, if you are looking for the '60s car interior look, the leather/cloth comes in some cool bi-color combinations.

 

Can't comment on the Xenons but I have to say the leatherette is awesome - in some ways more sporty & hip than the $1500 black leather. I went with leatherette without seeing it in person as the R56 wasn't out when I ordered and I thought it was a minor gamble but I'm very pleased with with what I got and $0 makes it even better.

BTW, ordering the R56 without seeing one was a gamble in itself but it paid off very well